Jun. 16, 2006
The Deep Litter Method for the Henhouse
Posted in Homestead Barnyard
When we first started
keeping chickens some 20 years ago, I read all I could on the details of keeping
the coop. One issue that seemed to spark debate was whether one ought to clean
out the henhouse regularly or go with a deep litter system. I opted for the
deep litter system since it meant I only needed to clean out the coop twice a
year or so. That sounded good to me.
When the henhouse is
clean, I throw a bale of straw all over it - to about 12" in depth. After a
while, the hens work it around pretty good. When it gets really packed down, I
throw another bale on top of that, and so on. Once in the Spring and again in
the Fall, I shovel out the coop. Normally, chicken manure must be composted for
a long time (six months or so) before it can be put on the garden. However, the
deep litter system means that the manure is already composted right in the coop,
so I just take everything I've shoveled straight to my garden plot and throw it
on. The garden loves it!
Lisa Vitello is wife to Guy and mother to
six great kids. She is the publisher of the New Harvest Homestead
newsletter, a bi-monthly journal for women who want to live a
simpler, more home-centered lifestyle in contrast to a culture where
moms are constantly on the go. Kitchen gardening, canning and
preserving food, backyard livestock, crafting, homekeeping, kitchen
arts and other practical skills are discussed, along with lots of
Titus 2 encouragement. Ask for your free issue at
www.newharvesthomestead.com.
Comments
Jun. 16, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by jenig
thank you! that is great info. the 50 chickens we ordered are getting so big. i need all the advice i can get on the subject
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Jun. 16, 2006 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Anonymous
This works great.....and cleaning 2x a year....sign me UP! :)
Thanks Lisa!
Lisa
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Jun. 16, 2006 - 50 Chickens!
Posted by NewHarvestHomestead
Well, you jumped right in with both feet, Jen!! :)
You're going to have eggs coming out your ears. We'd better post some egg recipes!
Lisa
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Jun. 16, 2006 - Wanted to say thanks for stopping by my blog
Posted by momof8
And thanks for the tip...We have a rather large flock of our own and need all the advice we can get. How does it smell, though?
~Blessings
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Jun. 17, 2006 - My funny farm
Posted by Anonymous
I link over from HomeschoolBlogger:
Our first spring in our new home some years back, I was energetic and well much younger...I spied out a part of our backyard that we weren't using. We had just had our first baby the summer before, and all my maternal instincts were in full swing. A garden was just what was needed and wanted. I had grown up watching my mom garden and I figured there couldn't be much to it...so off to the nursery to get some veggies to plant. Well I pick up some of this and a bit of that. I was pleasantly surprised to see that you could get six little plants for so reasonable a price and well I really like tomatoes and I wanted to try several different ones, besides I had a pretty good size little garden. So home I went and began to plant my 24, yes that is 4 pony packs of 6 each, making it 24 tomato plants and all the other things I'd gotten. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they went from little plants to well much larger plants. And then came the fruit. And they got bigger and more fuit and I attempted to trellis them, but to no avail. Let's just say that they took over. I had more tomatoes than a young mother of one knew what to do with. Did I mention I had gotten a pony pack of zuccini as well. Let's just say that was the summer I met some neighbors as I pushed my baby in the stroller and pulled a wagon along knocking on doors trying to give it away.
I've come a long way, three tomato plants, one zuccini... well you get the idea. BUT did I mention the 20 or so pumpkin seeds the kids planted this year...
Maybe I should mention we don't live on a farm, but we are tucked up in LA county...I only get to dream of chickens!
Jennifer ( gabalot @ homeschoolblogger)
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